Tag Archives: Bicycle Thieves

For the fifth year running Balerno Village Screen is partnering with the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling to bring you a night of cycling related films and for the first time – a cycling sprint time trial! The evening will start with two shorts followed by the main feature. And we are also running the Giro d’Italia #RaceToBiella a bicyle sprint simulator in association with Menabrea.

Running order for the event is as follows:

6.30 to 7.30pm: Opportunity to record your fastest sprint time with the Giro d’Italia #RaceToBiella simulator (those fast enough will win a complimentary Menabrea beer)

7.35 The Man Who Lived on His Bike

7.40 Everesting Swain’s The Ascent

7.50 Bicycle Thieves

9.30 End

The films:

We start with The Man Who Lived on His Bike. It’s difficult to imagine someone living, eating, sleeping and even washing clothes on a bicycle for over a year. But that’s exactly what French artist and copyeditor Guillaume Blanchet from Montreal has done. He even cooked his own food and flirted with women, while perched on the narrow bicycle seat. This 3 minute film depicts Blanchet’s life on the bicycle.

Our second short is Everesting Swain’s The Ascent, a short film documenting Mat Ilic’s attempt to Everest the notorious Swain’s Lane in North London.

Our main feature is Bicycle Thieves (in Italian with subtitles)- this landmark Italian neorealist drama became one of the best-known and most widely acclaimed European movies, including a special Academy Award as “most outstanding foreign film” seven years before that Oscar category existed. Lamberto Maggiorani plays Antonio, an unemployed man who finds a coveted job that requires a bicycle. When it is stolen on his first day of work, Antonio and his young son Bruno (Enzo Staiola) begin a frantic search, learning valuable lessons along the way.

One of the great, perfect crystalisations of a specific point in time into a particular film, this is one of the greatest cinematic experiences ever. David Parkinson, Empire

Friday 16th June

Bicycle Thieves CERT U, The Man Who Lived on His Bike and The Ascentall screening 7.30pm – 9.30pm St Joseph’s Hall, Balerno (screening as part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling)

Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema free to attend and funded by donations. We ask that you reserve a free ticket in advance (via the button above) to help us manage numbers. We also ask that if you can no longer attend to cancel your ticket to allow someone else to see the film.

Tickets are also available via the Mill Cafe or you can book and print your tickets at Balerno Library (staff are happy to help).